Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-11
THE LAND QUESTION.
A Review ef the Land Question in Texas.
The Lease LaW-lts Effect Upon tine
States DeYel0Dment.
The Wise Legislation that Made Railway
Companies Emisrunt Agents Null
lied by Wire Fsuccs
LINDEN, Ten, Feb. Is, lsS7.

LINDEN, Ten, Feb. %, loS7.
! To the Editor OF the Gazette.
Having resided in Texas since 1881,
and having noticed and taken deep in
terest in her political, social and material
status and progress from her infancy AZ 4
republic to her present era, desire as
citizen an voter to submit through the
columns of THE GAZETTE some PROPOSE
lions and questions bearing directly upon
state policy.
! We allude to what is known as the
| lease lew. We desire to direct attention
to the land question, and We put it III
different phase to what it has yet been
handled 80 far as We have noticed the
! discussions.
Let it be observed upoT the first p.opo-
sition, that the school lands of the state
were located under the railroad law,
| granting sixteen sections of land to the
mile to all railroads running through the
| state of grade not less than three feet.
Referring to R,vised Statutes, article
1867, act Of August IG, 1876, l find that
the state Legislature enacted a law de-
mating sixteen sections of land to the
mile to any railroad corporation hereto
fore chartered or which may be hereafter
organized under the general laws.
But under this law there were some
stipulatiOns which must be complied
with before railroad companies could
avail themselves Of its broad and liberal
benefits.
Referring to article 1915, Revised
Statutes, same act, find that railroad
companies are required to make their sur
veyS in alternate sections, or half sec
tions, as n, arly square as practicable:
one OF such surveys for the company sud
one for the state for the benefit of the
public school fund.
Referring to article AFT, same act, I
fad that all lands acquired by rail
road companies under the provisions Of
the law above quoted, or any
general laN, Shall be aIieuated by sGid !
companies, one-half ia six years, and one !
hall ia twelve years from the issuance of |
patents. And Gil lands so acquired by |
railrod companies and not alienqted |
shall be forfeited to the state end become |
part Of the public domain and liable to !
location Snd survey as other unappropri-
ated lands.
Nov, under this law, it will be OBJ
served thai wherever there is section Of
railroad land there is also section Of
school land, OF vice versa. And this
system of railroad donations accomps-
MED by its twin sister, the free school !
land system, is cOeval with the history o.
Texas legislation. Millions OF acres Of
our choice lands, enough to make Stat.,
have thus been vested in railroae compa-
MES and the pablo school fund; so then
with these facts in view. the land ques-
ton in Texas must be very
important one. The land system
above noticed, donating lands to
railroad companies and to the schools OF
the state was the grandest idea ever con-
ceived to settle up country. Why? Be-
cause the railroads were bound to sell t
t1eir lands within six and twelve wears,
and the school lands were open to settle t
ment on liberal terms. The railrua S be- l
ing under the law bound to sell or forfeit
their land claims, they naturally became
agents and the most efficient
that could possibly be desired.
1t will be remembered by all who trav-
lied on railroads that up to the spring of i
oSS the railroad trains going west Were r
20 crowded with Immigrants that l. was i
frequently difficult for passengers t. get v
seats. These immigrants were bejag t
)rouSnL Oy the railroad companies sintGI c
Texas to settle on railroad lafits. 10
This system uninterrupted would 4
lave given Texas an enormo1s. ]
population of laboring people e,
md more, it would have given the free4
chool lands neighbors intervening ali
long who were striking the earthto 6rthg :
ortn its fruits, and who would have fip- a
TIED and induced their friends a4d relas,, .
ives to come and buy the school lands
md become their neighbors.
But this entire system was annulled. il
This bright future for Texas was bIotted t
nut on dark day for her, on April u,
1873, by the advent OF the lease y
aw. 1t will be remembered
hat about that time there vase great
attic boom, capitalists wanted 10 put b
heir money in it-men who were not Ir
itizens of the state, perhaps, and neasrd
expected to be. They came to Texas andf,.
'iewed the situation. They said to toe IS
abroad companies, we want. to Boy p
arge blocks of land, we would1buy yours z
ut these school lands intervene, and 70